CLONTARF 26 CORK CON 6...'TARF WIN SEMI !!
08/05/2006
Clontarf 26 Cork Con 6


This is the way it is supposed to be ….. Sunshine, Marquee, Barbeque on balcony etc etc. When the Clontarf Rugby ‘thinktank’ started planning at the beginning of the season this day was a major target. A home semi final acts as a rejuvenator for the Club volunteers. It is a social magnet for the Northside and the Clontarf Parish which is critical for the Club. When the game ended I was standing by the pitch chatting when I noticed the number of kids who had invaded the pitch to play.
I counted at least 7 games of ‘tip’ in progress involving all age groups. It was a great sight.
The thing that strikes me about the Clontarf support is that they are a blend of every thing that is funny about Munster and Leinster. We in Clontarf can pose with the best of the Southsiders; we have the designer labels and the sunglasses; we have the tans and the cars; and we have the attitude. BUT …… In Castle Ave, if the opposition transgress, as Con did early in the game, the crowd morphs into a howling, spitting mob worthy of Greenfields at its scariest.
It was hilarious; two minutes in Healy threw a dig at a maul in front of the ‘Tarf terrace and from that point on it was open season. Roars of self righteous advice flowed down on the linesman and the opposition. It was like a DUP rally!
It didn’t help that Dara Lyons, the Con outhalf, has a kicking routine reminiscent of the mating dance of a bird of paradise …… more choreography than a Bob Fosse musical.
Silence for the kicker…. You must be joking!

Con opened the scoring early with a penalty. Clontarf took it to 5 3 after O’Shea ran back a speculative kick and found Trenier in support; he made huge ground and offloaded to O’Loughlin who scored his first try for Clontarf.
His first try!.... Whats going on? … He must be passing too much!
Lyons added another penalty for Con to make it 5 6 and after a long period of attrition the game was broken open by O’Loughlin who’s sniping break released Andy Wood down the middle. Fast ball was moved right to O’Brien who put his namesake on the wing in at the corner with a skip pass. O’Shea added the conversion for 12 6 at half time.
The second half began well for Clontarf but indiscreet use of the boot at a maul in the con 22 saw them lose the attacking initiative. Con piled on the pressure but it was becoming clear that they were running out of ideas and the stress of chasing the game was leading to errors.
20 minutes in Con went wide but dropped the ball. Hewitt was on to it like a pickpocket and he put Niall O’Brien away for his second try and 19 6. That was the killer score; with time running out Con tried to manufacture a breakout from their 22 but a badly weighted grubber bounced straight up to a confident, charging O’Brien and his momentum carried him under the posts for a final score of 26 6. 

Congratulations to all involved.
The defence in particular was superb; at no stage did Con look comfortable on the ball and they received some massive hits for their trouble.
One in particular from Jacob Ellison on their outside centre almost drew a gasp of sympathy from the crowd. Niall O’Brien was deemed man of the match for his three tries but the vote could really have gone to any of the team. Andy Wood was, again, superb; Hewitt was the most alert back on the pitch; Downey was ferocious in defence; the pack ,to a man, dominated their opposition. Dave O'Brien defended with amazing composure, filling holes and snuffing out the Con momentum all over the pitch.
Fiach O’Loughlin has now added vertical evasion to his already accomplished base of skills. We know he can jink left and right but on Saturday he seemed to go under defenders as well. I think he has tunnels on the pitch like a prairie dog or a North Vietnamese soldier. When the action is getting hot he just dives into a hole and appears behind the defense!

So … Lansdowne Rd and Shannon………

A few years ago now, when we started this quest, we used to fuel ourselves with fantasies ……. No!... not the Maserati and supermodel ones ….. The rugby what if’s.

What if we got to the final?.... As it became clearer that we could compete the fantasies turned to ambitions. The ‘what if’s’ became confident ‘when we’. The loss to Ballymena, far from discouraging Clontarf, fuelled the desire. It was such a great day and a great experience.
In the back of everyone’s mind, however, was the vision of the ultimate Irish Club rugby challenge.

Lansdowne Rd ….. The AIB AIL League Final …… Against Shannon.

Next Saturday we get our wish …………….


Be there

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